According to an executive from Boeing, the airplane maker has identified flights lasting 14 hours or more as a “key consideration” for its global growth strategy over the next 20 years.
In recent weeks, these ultra-long haul flights have grabbed headlines with Qantas Airlines Ltd testing a 19-hour flight between New York and Sydney using a Boeing 787-9. Qantas is also preparing to test an even longer flight between Sydney and London with the same plane.
“Globally, if long haul is growing 5% per year, ultra long haul is growing twice that per year,” said Darren Hulst, managing director at Boeing while discussing market forecasts for the next 2 decades years.
Overall, commercial aviation is expected to grow at 4.6% per year on average between 2019 and 2038, according to a Boeing market study that was released in September 2019. The study highlights changing habits among passengers who are willing to travel longer. It is also a pointer to increased fuel efficiency of aircraft which allow for much longer routes to be flown profitably.
Hulst went on to add, this market has developed without Boeing expecting it to, pointing specifically to the carrier’s use of the 787-9 plane to fly long distance trips.
The 787-9 is now the “key player” for ultra long-haul flights involving mid-sized wide-body planes.
“When we designed the airplane, I think the sweet spot for where we saw the airplane operating was between nine and 14 hours,” said Hulst.
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